Golovkins Devastating Power Defeats Macklin

Gennady Golovkin demonstrated his devastating power Saturday night as he retained his middleweight titles by knocking out Matthew Macklin in the third round with a single punch.

It was Golovkin’s fight from the opening bell. He outpunched Macklin 58-29, and seemed to connect at will. Finally, at 1:22 in the third round, a vicious left hook to Macklin’s body put him down. He couldn’t recover after the 10 second count, and Golovkin’s hand was raised in victory.

The quick KO ended the night early at the Foxwoods Resort and Casino in Mashantucket, Connecticut, and was the 14th knockout in a row for Golovkin, 31, the former Kazakhstani Olympic silver medalist and legendary amateur fighter.

Some thought that Macklin would be a good test for Golovkin. He had one put Sergio Martinez on the canvas. But, tonight he appeared overmatched from the start.

“My perfect position for that body shot,” Golovkin (27-0, 23 KOs) said. “I want this fight against Sergio Martinez. I felt great in the ring. He never hurt me. It was an easy fight for me.

“I want to fight against soon. Any top fighter, any champion, any belt holder….anywhere.”

Before the fight, Macklin said he was unsure of how good Golovkin was, based on his past opponents. After the fight, he knew.

“It was a great shot he landed, the left hook to the body is personally one of my favorites. I tip my hat to him; he’s a great champion. He has clubbing, solid power and you can feel the weight of every punch he throws.”

Macklin said that his fight plan was lost early as Golovkin moved from head to body shots.

“I was planning to exploit his weakness, which was inexperience,” said Macklin. “He’s only been 10 rounds once. But credit to him. He was patient and put the pressure on and was hard to hit clean.”

Of his opponent’s power, Macklin said, “Every shot is hard, even his jab. The reason he got me so good to the body is I was preoccupied with defending the uppercuts that he got me downstairs.”

After Saturday night’s exhibition, it may be difficult finding a quality opponent as Golovkin displayed devastating power as he soundly defeated Macklin.